My first home Venezuela is going through a humanitarian crisis. And although there is little we can do to change the root cause, there is a lot we can do to help my people.
(Updated June 17, 2017)
It’s been 4 months since I wrote this post. And to be totally honest this update is bitter sweet.
The exciting news is that we have received countless donations from people all over the country and the world to our Aid for Venezuela – GoFundMe page. And with these donations, we’ve successfully sent 57 boxes weighing 70-80 lbs each with food and medical supplies. Every box has arrived safely in the hands of the families and non-profit organizations we are helping.
Additionally,we have started to partner with several small grass-root organizations and even some of our own family in Venezuela who are cooking meals and handing them out to people starving and rummaging for food on the streets. We have received emails from groups of teenagers working together to make meals for others, priest helping their community and organizations helping families with small children.
Our efforts are truly making a difference, but unfortunately there is still a lot more to be done.
On the other hand, I am sad to say the overall situation has gotten worse in Venezuela. Although Venezuelan’s are risking their lives to conduct daily demonstrations that have lasted weeks, violent crime, poverty, and malnutrition is at an all-time high. The Venezuelan Health Ministry says child mortality has also jumped 30% in the last year. The video below shows just how bad things are getting for families and children.
The following report contains disturbing images.
THIS IS WHERE WE CAN HELP.
We know we can’t solve the political nor economic problems in Venezuela, but we can help children and families struggling to cope. My plea is that you share this post with those in your life that you love. If you would like to help but cannot donate funds, please please please share this message or the GoFundMe link with friends, family, or on social media. The more awareness we can raise, the more help is possible.
With the amount of families with small children in dire need, we have started sending boxes filled with essential supplies like formula and rice cereals. Many of the families, local churches and local organizations are asking for our help to continue providing supplies for malnourished children. And this has truly become our #1 goal. The below photo was sent to us by a local priest who is doing everything in his power to help local families.
So from the bottom of my heart, I thank you. Thank you for reading this, contributing and/or sharing this others.
To stay up to date on current news from Venezuela as well as updates on boxes shipped and families helped, follow along on VeneHope (A blog my family is maintaining to share constant updates).
For further information on the Aid for Venezuela – GoFundMe page and the overall goal of our efforts, refer to the original post below.
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(Original post published February 6th, 2017)
What is happening?
As some of you may or may not know, I was born in a little town at the northern tip of Venezuela. A once beautiful prosperous country that I had pleasure of experiencing before its total economic collapse.
Since moving to the states in 1998, I’ve slowly seen the country deteriorate and heard countless first hand stories of the downward spiral from the rest of my family that still lives there. But today Venezuela is in a state of emergency with both an economic and humanitarian crisis.
Although the country’s economic decline has been happenings for years (explained here), it’s safe to say that a corrupt government is bankrupting the country. This has caused food shortages, rampant inflation and a worthless currency, making it nearly impossible for the average Venezuelan to afford basic food or medicine.
The result is that thousands of Venezuelans are malnourished and facing starvation because they only have enough food for one meal a day or because they must ration food for their children. And this is not just reported by the news, but seen and experienced by my own family.
Why I am sharing this?
The reason I am writing about such a personal topic is because I need your help to help these families. And the first step to helping them is – Awareness. My family and I are spreading awareness on the Venezuelan crisis in order to gather send as much food and aid as possible to the country’s most needy.
Many people I know are unaware of the crisis in Venezuela, and honestly I don’t blame them. With so many tragedies happenings in the world today, Venezuela gets little to no coverage.
How to help?
Since the summer of 2016 my mom (kindly known as Abuela on this blog) has been diligently working to send aid boxes to Venezuela. These are large 40-70lbs boxes filled with non-perishable foods and medicine to our family and friends.
Over time, and as the situation has deteriorated, she has partnered with other families, friends and fellow Venezuelans living in the states, who want to help other families in need. Because of the growing demand, we have started a GoFundMe page called Aid for Venezuela.
The purpose of the Aid for Venezuela – GoFundMe page is to raise awareness and donations to continue shipping boxes to Venezuela. The money raised is used to buy basic non-perishable food and medicine, and pay the cost of shipping. The food will be shipped directly to individuals in the country who need the food, not to government officials, churches, or charities. That way the shipments are sure to go the people.
Along with our GoFundMe money raising efforts and numerous food drive events conducted by friends and partnering organizations, we have created the site VeneHope to share current updates on the situation in Venezuela. So feel free to follow along.
The Ultimate Goal.
Our ultimate goal is help people in need. Anything you can donate on GoFundMe is appreciated, not matter how small. If you would like to help but cannot donate funds, we ask for your help to share this message. Share this post or the GoFundMe link with friends, family or on any social media. The more awareness we can raise, the more help is possible.
This is a cause that is near and dear to me and my family. People I know and love are struggling to eat and survive, so from the bottom of my heart I thank you for anything that you can do to help.
“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller
Photo credit: Aljazeera, AEI, LaNacion, Reuters, AvaxNews.
News post credit: The Guardian
Originally posted 2017-02-06 07:00:00.
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